Tooth-cleaktiire device



E. LOEWENHERZ.

TOOTH CLEANING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. I. I9I5.

PatentedAug. 5,1919.

www

INVENTOR.

vUNITED STATES PATENT onirica."

EMANUEL LoEwENHE-Rz, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOOTH- CLEANING DEVICE.

residing at Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new Y and useful Tooth-Cleaning Device, of which the following is a specication.

device.

An object of the invention is to provide improvements in tooth cleaning devices of that kind in which a rubbing element may be detachably inserted into the head portion of the device. The means for holding the ldetachable rubbing element in' place and for effecting `readily the release of the same when it is desired to exchange the rubbing element are provided o-n'the head portion opposite to that surface on which the hold- 'in' device for the rubbing element is located.

It is also an object ofthe invention to provide Va device of this kind in which the ycleaning element is adapted to retain by absorption liquids ofbeneicial influence for the teeth, being at the same time suitable for the retention of tooth pastcs or tooth powders tothe same, or to a higher, extent than the cleaning devices provided with bristles. This object is attained by'provi-ding a tooth cleaning' device in which a soft pad, containing, for instance, cotton batting or cotton fabric, or some other similar substance capableof absorbing'liquids or p-astes, is used in rubbing contact with the teeth. A

With these and other objects in view I have illustrated various embodiments of the invention in the accompanying drawing,

whereintion, a device of this kind adapted for the reception of two rubbing paids, one Vof thev threel pads, the rubbing pads 'being notv shown'.

yilarparts inthe'various figures 'o l n i Fig. sis a' longitudinal Section through element retaining the pad Clamp nr'op erative position. v Y i 1 through a-'modied embodiment ofthe invention, also on a larger scale.

Similar reference characters relate to simlon -a soft pad; l

Specification OfLVettersvIatent.. Patented Aug.,5, 1919, Application filed october 1,'1915. serial No. 53,594;V

`tooth brush. f The back 1 has aplurality of slots 3, which are formed by punching or 1n some other way severing from the matel rial of the back strips 4, leaving one longi- This invention relates to a tooth cleaning so as to provide corrugations or teeth 5 to strengthen the holding power ofthe strip A. companion holding member in the form of a small angle plate having the flanges 6 and `'7V-is pivotally mounted by ,means of short extensions 9 in ,the material of the back l, said pivotal extensions being located infsuitable eyes or bearings 10 Aat the ends of the'slot; said bearings being formed in the embodiment illustrated by punching small strips from'the metal of the back as indicatedat'lO, and bending the same into the form of loops. The free edge of the flange 16 is also provided withV corrugations or teeth 8', which' increase the holding power of this member. In supportin l this companion'member pivotally it is o `vious that upon release of the lower lange 7 this flange willV drop downwardly', so that the other flange will be swung'in a direction away from the stationary strip't, which hasbeen punched from the back. v

The flange 7 of the movable holding mem-i ber-may -be made of somewhat heavier'stock Y Y than the other lange 6, so that upon release Figure l shows on an enlarged scale in secof saidV member the flange 7 Vwill overbalance the flange 6 and' drop'in'to release'position.

From the drawing it is apparent that both l Vof the'holding flanges inoperative position are inclined toward eachotherin order to pad to beinslide ll may be inserted from-the free end. of theV back in direction'toward the handle, p ysaid'lcking slide being guided `ley-'project- Y v Y A 'v ingl ledges `12 on the underside of the back.'- I Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig.

tatesl the gripping Yof the-same -bythe us'eru loo ofthe device, and the other end Vmay be prou V-"vided "with f' an angular, downwardly projecting portion 15. The last named element will serve for automatically lifting the flanges 7 of all of the movable holding members when the slide is inserted.

The insertion or removal of the slide 11 through the space limited betweenthe flanges 7 and the ledges 12 may be effected in spite of the depending angular portion 15, as said angular portion is somewhat narrower than the slide itself, shoulder 16 being formed between the body of the slide and the depending portion.

The device is used in the following way: After withdrawing the locking slide 11 and permitting thereby the holding device formed by the two flanges 4 and 6 `to open by gravity, the user inserts a pad 30 between the flanges 4 and 6 of each holding device. He then returns the slide 11 into locking position. The slide forces the flange 7 against the under surface of the back 1, the lifting movement being initiated by the depending flange 15 of the slide. The cleaning device is then ready for use, and after use the rubbing pads 30 may readily be removed through withdrawal of the slide, and the device can be thoroughly cleansed. Upon withdrawal of the slide the flange 7 of the movable holding member will by gravity drop into re- 30leasing position. The insertion of the locking member will automatically restore said movable holding member into closing posif The elements will be held clearly in locking position, owing to the elasticity of the material of which they are made, and owingY to the fact that the movable flange 6 presses against the pad of cotton inserted between the two flanges 4 and 6.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 5 the individual pads 30, described with reference to the other figures, are replaced by a single cleaning pad 33, comprising several plies or layers of cotton fabric or gauze (indicated at 3l), said plies being sewed together'to form one tubular member. I-Iolding beads or projections, adapted for insertion between -the holding flanges 4 and 6 of the cleaning device, are pro-vided on the inner surface of said tubularmember at regular intervals, said beads being preferably produced by folding the various plies ofthe tubular member at fixed interspaces and maintaining them in folded condition by means of seams V(diagrammatically indicated at 32). The means forcholding this pad in operative position, or for releasing the same, are the same as shown with respect to Fig. 1. In the operation ofthe 1device in connection with this modified pad the beads are inserted between the anges,

which are then locked by means of the slide 11'. After a portion of this padfghas been used the holding device may be released, and the pad may be turned so as to bring successively another set of beads into registration with the holding flanges, whereupon the holding flanges can 'be closed again by the insertion of the slide 1l.

It is obvious that the entire device after removal of the pads or cushions may be sterilized in simple and efficacious manner, like any surgical instrument.

While only two specific forms of the invention are described in this specification, it is understood that the same may be varied and modified without departing from the spirit of the inventiony and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tooth cleaning device the combination of a metal back having a longitudinal slot, a flange projecting upwardly along the edge of the slot, a companion flange in opposition to said first named flange,l a pad releasably inserted between said flanges, and means free of portions projecting into the space between said flanges for holding said pad in place;

2. In a tooth cleaning device the combination of a metal back provided with a longitudinal slot, a flange projecting upwardly from said back and rigidly connected therewith, another flange in. oppositionl to said first named Harige and oscillatably mounted on said back,'a pad removably inserted between said flanges, and a detachable means -releasably connected with the back for forcsition to said first named flange and pro-V vided withv gripping projections, a Vpad detachably inserted between said elements, means for forcing said movable element in direction toward said other element, and means connected with said movable element for automatically moving the saine in direction away from said other element when they first named means are released.

4. A tooth cleaning device, comprising in combination with a baclna rigid holding flange projecting at an angle from the back,

a movable holding flange projecting at an angle Vfrom the back, a vthird flange connected Y with said second flange and projecting below the undersurface of the back, means acting on said last namedV flangefor forcing the second flange in direction toward the first Y Vnamed flange, and a pad removably inserted ybetween said firsttwo flanges.

EMANUEL LoEwENi-iiiiiz.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained' foi-*five 'cents each, by addressngjthe Commissioner oflarevnpts. i

I Y Washingtomn. 6.? 

